Thailand agrees to let the UK help with Koh Tao murder investigation

After a face to face meeting between the Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha and UK Prime Minister David Cameron in Milan, Italy Prayut Chan-O-Cha dropped his objections to letting the UK help investigate the Koh Tao murders.

According to reports a British diplomatic source said “what the prime minister secured this morning was an agreement from the Thai prime minister that we can send some British police investigators to Koh Tao to work with the Royal Thai Police on this”

Zaw Lin and Win Zaw, both Myanmar migrant workers have been charged with the brutal murders of the two British backpackers whose bodies were discovered on Siree Beach Koh Tao on September 15th. Police have said that the migrant workers have confessed to the crime and that their DNA samples match those found in Hannah Witheridge’s body, however there have been accusations that the men were tortured into giving a confession, something that Thailand strongly denies.

Reports state that the diplomatic source has expressed concern in two areas, one is the verification of the DNA samples of the subjects, making sure there is further independent verification and the second is the allegations of mistreatment of the suspects. He stressed that it is time for Thai authorities to lead and carry out that judicial process, but it was important that it be fair and transparent.